Improvement in charging magazines for revolvers



3 Sheets-Sheefi1 "R. WHITE. Charging Magazine for Revolver.

N ..201,855. Patented March 26,1878.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. WHITE. Charging Magazine for Revolver.

C L H namfi lvuvu mvumm V Patented March 26 a ai m, u I l.

WI TJV' E, "SEE:

N-PETERS PHDfO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, DIG.

3 S'heetsSheet, 3.

R. WHITE. Charging Magazine for Revolver.

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.PEI'ERs, PHOYO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D. C

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLIN WHITE, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENTINCHARGING MAGAZINES FO R REVO LVERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20 l ,855, dated March26, 1878; application filed February 27, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, RoLLrN WHITE, of Lowell, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Magazines for Fire- Arms; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is afull and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, andto the letters of referencemarked thereon.

. In the use of fire-arms for military purposes by cavalry, where thetime for efiective use of the same is usually very short, and where'forquently on account of the numbness of the,

lingers in cold weather. For these reasons, as well as on account of themental excitement in actual conflict, it usually happens that in acharge of cavalry the chambers of the revolvers are discharged at once,and then reliance is had upon the saber, or else the horsemen fall backand come to a halt for the purpose of recharging. The object I have'inview, then, is to provide a magazine especially suited for revolvingfire-arms, adapted to be secured to the body of the horseman, capable ofholding in a secure manner, protected from exposure to injury, a largenumber of charges of ammunition, and having contrivances by means ofwhich all the chambers of a revolver may be charged instantly under allcircumstances and in any sort of weather. v The novelty in my inventionconsists, principally, in a magazine adapted to be carried on the body,and capable of charging all the chambers of a revolver at the sameinstant, and in the novelty of the various essential parts, and in theirvarious operative combinations, all as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and explained.

In order that those skilled in the art may know how to make and use mymagazines, I proceed to describe the same, having reference to theaccompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a view of my magazine attached to the body of the wearer,showing the mode of charging the cylinder of a revolver; Fig. 2, a viewof the magazine, showing the position of the revolver after the cylinderhas been charged and the pistol has been closed up for use; Fig. 3, acentral vertical section of the magazine with the cylinder of therevolver within the open end of the magazine before the act of chargingthe cylinder; Fig. 4, a similar section after the cylinder has beencharged; Fig. 5, a similar section of the plunger and its variousoperative attachments; Fig. 6, a view of the magazine, showing the innershell in elevation, the outer shell in vertical section, and thecharging-guide in elevation, except that portion of it which receivesthe projection of the barrel, which portion is in section; Fig. 7, avertical central section of the inner shell and the charging-guide; Fig.8, a modification of Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a modification of Fig. 5; Fig. 10,an inside view of" the cap or cover to the magazine; Fig. 11, a View ofthe plug to close the open end of the maga zine; Fig. 12, a view of theswivel-plate to which the belt is attached; Fig. 13, a viewof theswivel-plate attached to the magazine,

with a part broken away to show the inclosed spring; Fig. 14, abottom-end view of the mag azine; and Fig. 15, a central cross-sectionof.

the magazine.

Like letters denote corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A and A represent the leather cases which cover theoppositeends of the magazine; a, a short strap, secured to one of theleather cases and a, another strap, secured to the same leather case,with its buckle endv passing over the outer end of the other casethrough a suitable guide, so that the end of the strap a maypass'through such buckle, and the two cases A A be drawn toward eachother, and held respectively at the desired distance apart. The oppositeend of the strap a/ is secured to the belt B, so that the cases and. themagazine inclosed in them may hang, if desired, at a convenient distancebelow'the belt. This beltB is made in any convenient way, and adapted tobe worn around the waist; but it is apparent that anyshoulderbelt, orother convenient means of support, may be used; or the magazine may beattached to the body of the wearer in any convenient way;

as illustrated in the drawings, is designed for use with a revolver ofthe Smith St Wesson type.

The outer shell 0 is a cylinder, made of any proper material, preferablyof sheet metal, which has, preferably, a packing-lining, b, of leatheror other suitable material; or, indeed, the packing may be used withoutany shell. To the top of this shell 0 is hinged a cap or cover, D,which, when closed, is held fast by a spring-latch, 0. Upon the insideofthis cap or cover (shown particularly in Fig. 10) is a hook, d, actuatedby a spring, 61 which hook is adapted to engage with a slot or score inthe plunger, hereinafter to be described, and to hold the same inposition. This spring d is shown with its free end inserted in holes (V,where it operates the hook, as described; but the free end may beinserted in the other holes d in which case the hook is held constantlyback out of position of engagement. This plunger passes ,through aproper opening, W, in the capor cover. The hook dis actuated from. theoutside .of the cap or cover by a proper stud, d Upon the outside of theshell 0 is secured a swivel-plate, E, having a suitable pivot, whichplate has a hollow space under it, for the reception of a lock, 6, whichlook has va spiral spring, e Upon the head of this look is a hook, 0adapted to engage in the periphery of the swivel-plate F of the belt, so

as to hold the magazine at any convenient angle, and this lock isoperated by means of a suitable stud, c

The swivel-plate F is pivoted upon the swivel-plate E in any convenientmethod, and its periphery is notched, as at f, for engagement, with thehook 6 This plate F is secured to a convenient sliding clasp, F, throughwhich the belt B may be threaded; or the belt may be threaded through aloop attached to the magazine. Upon this shell 0 there is a suitablenotch, f l for engagement with a sprin glatch, hereinafter to bementioned. In the same shell, also, is inserted a proper screw-pin, fwhich extends into its interior, and, passing into a slot, g, upon theinner shell G,limits its movement back and forth to the extent of thelength of such slot. This inner shell is scalloped atits top, as shownby f.

The inner shell G is made of proper material, preferably thin sheetmetal, and is de signed to.fit closely into the interior of the shell 0.It maybe made cylindrical or polygonal in whole or in part, and has onone side of it a slot, g, into which the pin f enters, as explainedabove, and limits its movement back and forth, and preventsits rotarymovement. Upon the outer end of this shell is secured the charging-guideH, made of a size and form to receive into itsinterior the cylinder ofthe revolver to be charged; and it has upon one of its sides a portion,H, made of a size and form tovadmit of the reception within it of theprojection of the barrel of the pistol, or that part which looks thepistol-barrel to the recoilshield. This guide H H may be made alittleflaring at its mouth for more convenient use. Upon the side of thisportion H is a springlatch, h, which engages in any suitable way withthe projection of the barrel when the pistol is so far withdrawn aftercharging as to withdraw the cylinder from the magazine, and holds thepistol until it is turned into proper position for locking. The interiorof the guide H may be roughened, as shown at h, so that if dirt or dustshould find its way in it would not obstruct the entrance of thecylinder. Upon one of the sides of this shell G is a spring-detent, h,the office of which is to fit into the longitudinal slot or recess forthe locking-bolt which is found in the cylinders as constructed, andserves to hold the chambers of the cylinder in line with the chambers ofthe magazine. Upon the same shell G is a spring-latch, h which engageswith the notch f upon the shell 0, and holds the two shells together.

Within the shell Gr, and secured to it by suitable means h is fitted theammunitioncase I, made preferably of thin sheet metal, and composed, inthis instance, of six tubes, J J J, arranged around a central plungerand secured together; but the whole case may be made of solid metal,like a cylinder, and properly bored out. In these chambers J J areinserted springs j j, extending into the interior of such chambers, withtheir free ends pointing toward the loading end of the magazine, and ofthese springs four are shown in the drawing, the ends of such springsbeing apart the full length of a cartridge. Instead of a spring, foreconomy of space a springhook, j, is placed at the upper end, or the endopposite the loading end of each of the chambers J J. These springs j jand hooks j j serve to hold the cartridges from moving backward in theirprogress toward the loading end, and also to prevent their dropping out.

It is evident that, instead of such springs, pawls or tooth-bars, orother equivalent devices operating in the same way, may be employed. Inthe interior of each chamber J J, nearest toward the center of the caseI, are longitudinal slots j j, in which traverse springs 70 k and hooks70 70 secured to the plunger K, similar to the springs jj and hooks j.Placed centrally within the case I, and centrally as to the chambers JJ, is the plunger 1K, which is 'a inetallic tube, the a of-which,

k is solid fora short; distance,'in which part is cut-a groove, 70 with'which-the hookupon thecap'engages'. 'Inthe lower interior part strikeupon the base of the cartridges to: drive them home into the cylinderthey ride upon the nut or shoulder on the'bott'omof 'thefrod L, andeffectually prevent the next series of cartridges from dropping downuntil the plunger' is'withdrawn to charge again. i j The top "of theammunition-case I is scalloped, as at i, to correspond with thescalloped portion f of the inner shell G, forthe purpose ofpressing thecartridges into the chambers J J more conveniently when "filling" suchchambers by hand.

Theconstruct'ion of the magazine is complete with the additionof theplug M, made of any suitable materiahand adapted "to fit closely intothe interior of the-charging-guide H H, in which it is held by frictionand by the pressure of the springs connected with such charging-guide HH or it may be locked in place by one or more of such springs. This plugnot only excludes dust and moisture, but it assists in holding thecartridges from falling out.

The manner of operation of the various parts of my magazine, and of theentire magazine, is now described, it being premised that the magazineis supposed to have been filled by hand with cartridges thrust in fromthe top,

one by one, until each of the ammunitionchambers is full, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, and it being also supposed that a horseman is carryingthe magazine attached to his belt, as shown in Fig. 1. The magazinebeing turned into a convenient position upon its swivel, the meetingfaces of the plates of which may be packed with any suitable material toprevent the intrusion of dust andwater, and to better retain anylubricant, and the plug being removed, the magazine is now ready forcharging the revolver. The horseman holds his revolver,which is supposedto be unloaded,with his right. hand, with the usual grasp for firing,breaks it down with the same hand,thus exposing the end of the cylinderin the usual way for loading, disengages the spring-latch k when theinner shell slides out by'the action of the spiral spring in theplunger, and then thrusts the end of the cylinder and the projection ofthe barrel into the charging end of the magazine,

as shown in Fig. 1. When the cylinder is' locked, when thrown open, asin some instances, by a spring-stop upon the projection,-the chambers ofthe cylinder will be in line with the ammunition-chambers of themagazine.

In instances where the cylinder is notthu's locked, it will be necessaryto revolve thecylinder until the spring'catch or detent h gets intoposition, which willarrest the cylinder in line withtheammunition-chambers.

The cylinder being inserted, asd'es'cribed, in the charging end of themagazine, is locked therein by vmeans of the "spring-latch h, and forcebeingthen applied by the'hand holding the pistol, the cylinder is pushedback, in turn pushing the'inner shell G into theoutershell until the-twoshells 'are lockedtogether by means of the spring-catchh Atthe sameinstant the springs 70 kupon'the plunger K-force a cartridge fromeachchamber of theammuniti'on-case into the corresponding chambers ofthe cylinderTas is shown in Fig. 4. *The cylinderis then withdrawn, and,the projection of the barrel being held by-the spring latch, swings.upon the same in the act of closing up the pistol, and at the same timeas the line of direction of the barrel is changed in the act of closingupthe proj ection is released and readily comesout'of the-charging endof the magazine. If it is desired to charge the cylinder ofth'e revolverby operating the plunger alone, which maybe doneas well with the leathercase on as when it is removed,-the plunger passing through the end ofsuch leather case, as shown in Fig.'*l','it is necessary to release theend of the plunger from the hook 02 upon the cap D, when the plungerwill protrude a sufficient distance. In this case, however, thespringlatch h remains in position, holding the outer and inner shellstogether. Then, by pressing the cylinder inwardly after it has been entered into the charging end of the magazine, and allowing the end of theplunger to come in contact with the left arm, the cartridges will beforced down into the cylinder, as before described; or the end of theplunger may be struck with the left arm or the left hand.

It will be perceived in the operation of this plunger that the hooks kcarry along the upper series of cartridges, while the ends of thesprings 70 70 force down each of the other series of cartridges at thesame time that the springs j j prevent the cartridges from being movedout of place upwardly by any agitation or jolting of the magazine, whilethe springs 70 7c, bending inwardly under the fronts of the cartridges,prevent their movement in the opposite direction.

It will be observed that the lower series 70 of the springs of theplunger K are fastened to the interior fo the plunger, and are stouterthan the other springs, 70, and serve better their purpose of drivingthe cartridges home in the chambers of the cylinder, and they alsoprevent the next series of cartridges from coming out.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 it will be observed that, instead ofthe springdetent h, (shown in Fig. 7,) there is a stud in the chargingend, adapted to engage with a corresponding stud or equivalent in theprojection. It will also be observed that in Fig.

9 is shown a modification of the springs k k by the use of pawls.

It is to be observed that, while I have described particularly my modeof construction, I do not intend to be restricted in such details, as inthe actual construction of my magazine ioruse it will be deemedadvisable to simplify details to the largest extent.

.arm at the same time, substantially as described.

2. A magazine, substantially as shown, ca-- pable of holding manycharges of ammunition, and adapted to charge all the chambers of arevolver at the same time, substantially as described.

3. A magazine adapted to be secured to the belt of a person, with aswivel-connection, so

as to be capable of presentation at any desired angle, substantially asdescribed.

- 4; A magazine, substantially as shown, adapted to receive and retainin place the cylinder of a revolver while the same is loaded from themagazine, substantially as described.

5. A magazine containing an ammunition- .case, provided with chamberscorresponding to the chambers in the cylinder of a revolver,substantially as described.

6. A magazine or an ammunition-case having a plunger, by means of whichall the cartridges for one charge of a cylinder are ejected at one time,substantially as described.

7. A magazine or ammunition-case provided with means to eject one seriesof cartridges at a time, and to hold the remaining cartrid ges' ROLLINWHITE.

Witnesses A. B. KELLY, L. W. SEELY.

